鈴木春信画　若水を汲む男女|Drawing the First Water of the New Year

About this artwork

This Woodblock print; ink and color on paper by Japanese artist Suzuki Harunobu from ca. 1769–70 represents an important work in the Metropolitan Museum's Asian Art collection. 鈴木春信画　若水を汲む男女|Drawing the First Water of the New Y... [Full research-based description continues - work exemplifies period techniques, cultural context, and artistic significance within its genre and historical moment.]

Art Historical Context

Suzuki Harunobu's *Drawing the First Water of New Year* (ca. 1769–70) is a exquisite woodblock print from Japan's Edo period (16151868), showcasing the artist's mastery of ukiyo-e, the "pictures of the floating world" that captured fleeting moments of beauty and daily life. Harunobu, a pioneer full-color nishiki-e prints introduced around 1765, elevated this medium with vibrant inks and precise color layering, making his works some of the earliest and most influential multicolored prints. The scene depicts men and women at a well, buckets in hand, drawing *wakamizu*—the first pure water of th...

About the Artist

Suzuki Harunobu · 1725–1770

Suzuki Harunobu (c. 1725-1770) was a Japanese ukiyo-e artist who revolutionized woodblock printing by developing nishiki-e—full-color prints using multiple woodblocks—in 1765. Before Harunobu, Japanese prints were limited to two or three colors; his innovation unleashed the entire artist's palette, transforming ukiyo-e into the vibrant art form that would later captivate Western artists from Manet...